KR101320221B1 - Method and apparatus for copying objects in an object-oriented environment using a multiple-transaction technique - Google Patents

Abstract

A large number of objects, such as objects representing beams and columns in an object-oriented enterprise engineering system, may be copied in a model database by partitioning the objects according to certain criteria into a number of ordered small copy groups and copying the objects in each group as an atomic operation. Objects that are to be copied are organized into the ordered groups, and the groups are copied in order, such that all predecessors of a given object are copied into the database before, or in the same small operation as, the given object. If a large copy operation abnormally terminates before all the small copy operations have been completed, the model database is, nevertheless, left in a consistent state, and the copy operation may be resumed from the point of interruption. Furthermore, the number of objects that may be copied is not constrained by the amount of memory available in the system.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COPYING OBJECTS IN AN OBJECT-ORIENTED ENVIRONMENT USING A MULTIPLE-TRANSACTION TECHNIQUE}

This application, in all respects, filed on June 3, 2008, entitled "Method and Apparatus for Copying Objects in an Object-Oriented Environment Using a Multiple-Transaction Technique," which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. US Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 058,531.

The present invention relates to computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software systems, and more particularly to methods and apparatuses for copying multiple objects and relationships in a database used by the system. will be.

Enterprise engineering systems, sometimes referred to as spatial information management (SIM) systems, are CAD systems that facilitate 2D and 3D modeling and visualization. These systems are used in industrial complex operations such as design, construction, refineries and power plants, as well as other large complex structures such as skyscrapers, ships, mining and other material handling facilities. In conjunction with graphical user interfaces (GUIs), enterprise engineering systems enable designers to lay out structural, plumbing, electrical, heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC), and other complex systems, as well as various configurations or operations. Allows you to visualize selected parts or all of the project in steps.

Most modern enterprise engineering systems use object-oriented paradigms, where software constructs called "objects" represent real-world items such as beams, walls, floors, pipes, valves, conduits, switches, fans, and ducts. . Objects are typically data structures that store information identifying the type of items in the real world represented, as well as information about the particular item represented by each object (length, width, color, capacity, etc. suitable for item representation). Implemented in software as groups ordered by data elements).

Most objects are related to other objects. For example, if a pipe is attached to a beam, the object representing the pipe is associated with the corresponding beam object. Relationships are also typically represented as data structures. For example, the relationship between the pipe object and the beam object may include information identifying the physical attachment to the beam of the pipe. The relationship may also include information indicating that the beam bears the pipe.

Relationships between objects are ordered concepts. Relationships may represent the logical order in which objects are added to the model. For example, when modeling a power plant, a designer typically adds columns and places the columns in desired coordinates, then creates footings under the columns. Footing objects are associated with column objects, for example, if a column is later moved or has to withstand weight changes, enterprise engineering systems automatically resize to the size needed to bear the new weight, or Automatically move the foundation.

In this example, the beam object and the base object have a parent-child relationship. Here, the beam is also referred to as the "parent" of the base object, and the base is called the "child" of the beam object, because the base depends on the characteristics of the beam. The properties of the foundation as well as any other objects that are children of the beam are automatically recalculated by the enterprise engineering system whenever the beam properties change.

Many objects consist of other objects. For example, a boiler may include a burner, a series of pipes, and a pump to allow fluid to flow in the pipes. In this case, the individual objects represent boilers, burners, pipes and pumps, and the relationships between boiler objects and other objects indicate that the boiler contains or consists of other items and that other items are parts of the boiler. Data structures representing relationships between objects may include pointers or criteria for corresponding object data structures.

Many modern enterprise engineering systems use a relational database (RDB) or other database management system (DBMS) to store objects and relationships between them. In such systems, RDB records can be used to store object and relational data structures.

One particularly useful feature of an enterprise engineering system is the ability to copy one or more objects of a model with corresponding relationships, and paste the copies to other parts of the model or to another model. For example, in a high-rise office building model, objects and relationships that represent plumbing of a given floor may be copied and pasted to other floors. The copy operation involves creating copies of data structures representing the objects and relationships to be copied. The copy operation also adjusts the values of the newly created data structures, assigning unique identifiers to the newly created objects, and establishing relationships between the new objects and the part of the model (such as layer) to which the objects are to be attached.

In order to maintain the validity of objects and relationships in the model's database, the copy operation must be "atomic". That is, the entire copy operation completes without error-including storing ("committing") newly created objects in the database-or, no copy operation is performed and no new objects are stored in the database. Do not. If a non-atomic copy operation ends abnormally due to a system crash ("crash") or an attempt to copy a faulty data structure, the copy operation is only partially completed and Parent objects or parent-child relationships can be lost from the resulting model, severely compromising the value of the model. A database with missing objects or relationships is said to be "invalid" or "inconsistent".

Thus, to ensure atomicity, enterprise engineering systems perform copy operations in three steps. In the first step, data structures representing the objects and relationships to be copied are all moved to memory and data structures representing all newly created objects are created in memory. Then, in the second step, all the necessary value adjustments in the newly created data structures are performed while the data structures are in memory. The second step includes establishing all relationships between newly created objects and all relationships between newly created objects and existing objects. Then, in a third step, newly created data structures representing the new objects and relationships are committed to the database. Thus, the database reflects the model, rather than any intermediate steps, before any copy operation is performed or after the entire copy operation is completed. Atomic operations are also called "transactions."

Many satin models include a large number of objects and relationships, adding problems to the enterprise engineering system. Copying such a large number of objects and relationships may exceed the memory capacity of the system. As noted, the system must be large enough to store copies of the data structures as well as all data structures representing the objects and relationships to be copied. Even if the system has enough memory for a given copy operation, copying multiple objects and relationships can take considerable time, sometimes several hours. An abnormally terminated long copy operation must be "rolled back" to return the partial copy to its original, after which the copy operation may be restarted from the beginning, all of which wastes valuable user and computer time. .

One embodiment of the present invention provides a computerized method for copying a plurality of predecessor and successor objects displayed within an object oriented enterprise engineering system. In this system, each successor object has a predecessor relationship with the predecessor object. The input is received from a user selecting a plurality of objects to be copied. For each selected object, full-time objects corresponding to the selected object are automatically identified. The selected objects and the identified predecessor objects are divided into a plurality of ordered object groups such that for any given selected object or predecessor object, the corresponding predecessor objects are in the same group as the given object or a preceding group. )

In each group in turn, atomic database transactions are performed. During a transaction, copy objects corresponding to objects in the group are stored in the database. In addition, during the transaction, for at least one stored copy object corresponding to one object in the group, information is stored in the database to establish a full time relationship between the stored copy object and another copy object in the database. Other objects do not correspond to any objects in the group, and the stored copy object is the successor of other objects.

There may be at least one predecessor relationship between an object of one group of groups and another object of another group of groups. As part of an atomic database transaction of one group in a group, information may be stored in a database to establish a full-time relationship between a stored copy object corresponding to an object of one group of groups and a copy object corresponding to another copy object. .

As part of identifying predecessor objects, data identifying a path starting at the selected object may be received. The path extends through at least one object subordinate to the selected object. The path includes at least one step. Each step has a relationship type and direction.

Identification of the predecessor objects may include receiving data identifying the first path and the second path. Each path starts at the selected object. Each path extends through at least one object subordinate to the selected object. Each path includes at least one step. Each step has a relationship type and direction. The first path ends at the target object that is not subordinate to the selected object, and the second path terminates at the target object that is subordinate to the selected object. Identification of predecessor objects may include querying the database with a query formed from information from at least one of the paths.

Identification of predecessor objects may include generation of computer readable representations of selected objects (copy predecessor object graphs, etc.). Representations are sorted, and the sorted representations are divided.

In each group in order, during an atomic database transaction, for each selected object in the group, sub-objects may be automatically identified corresponding to the selected object. In addition, copy objects corresponding to the identified sub-objects may be stored in the database.

In each group, as part of storing the copy objects corresponding to the objects in the group, the object identifier of at least one of the copy objects may be stored in association with the object identifier of the corresponding object in the group.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a system for copying a plurality of predecessor and successor objects displayed within an object oriented enterprise engineering system. In this system, each successor object has a predecessor relationship with the predecessor object. The system includes a user interface that accepts input from a user selecting a plurality of objects to be copied. For each selected object, the identification module is configured to automatically identify predecessor objects corresponding to the selected object. The splitting module is configured to automatically split the selected objects and the identified predecessor objects into a plurality of ordered object groups. For any given selected or predecessor object, the corresponding predecessor objects are in the same group as the given object or in a preceding group. In each group in order, during the atomic database transaction, the storage module is configured to store in the database copy objects corresponding to the objects in the group. In addition, for at least one stored copy object corresponding to one object in the group, the storage module stores the information in the database to establish a full time relationship between the stored copy object and another copy object in the database. Other objects do not correspond to any objects in the group. The stored copy object is the successor of other objects.

There may be at least one predecessor relationship between an object of one group of groups and another object of another group of groups. The storage module is also part of an atomic database transaction of one of the groups to establish a full-time relationship between the stored copy object corresponding to the object of one group of groups and the copy object corresponding to another copy object. Can be configured to store information.

The identification module may also be configured to receive data, such as a copy class descriptor file, identifying a path starting at the selected object. The path extends through at least one object subordinate to the selected object. The path includes at least one step, each step having a relationship type and direction.

The identification module may also be configured to receive data, such as a copy class descriptor file, identifying the first path and the second path. Each path starts at the selected object. Each path extends through at least one object subordinate to the selected object. Each path includes at least one step. Each step has a relationship type and direction. The first path ends at the target object that is not subordinate to the selected object, and the second path terminates at the target object that is subordinate to the selected object.

The identification module may also be configured to query the database with a query formed from information from at least one of the first path and the second path.

The identification module may also be configured to generate a computer readable representation of the selected objects (copy full object graph, etc.). The identification module also aligns the representations of the selected objects and splits the aligned representations of the selected objects.

The storage module may also be configured to automatically identify, in each group, sub-objects corresponding to the selected object, for each selected object in the group, during the atomic database transaction. The storage module may also store copy objects corresponding to the identified sub-objects in the database.

The storage module may also be configured to store, in each group, the object identifier of at least one of the copy objects in association with the object identifier of the corresponding object in the group.

Another embodiment of the invention provides a computer program product for use in a computer system for copying a plurality of predecessor and successor objects displayed within an object oriented enterprise engineering system. In this system, each successor object has a predecessor relationship with the predecessor object. The computer program product includes a computer readable medium having computer instructions stored thereon. When the instructions are executed by the processor, the instructions cause the processor to accept input from a user selecting a plurality of objects to be copied. In addition, for each selected object, full-time objects corresponding to the selected object are automatically identified. In addition, the selected objects and the identified predecessor objects are automatically divided into a plurality of ordered object groups such that, for any given selected object or predecessor object, the corresponding predecessor objects are in the same group as the given object or the preceding group. Is in. In each group in order, during an atomic database transaction, the copy objects corresponding to the objects in the group are stored in the database. In addition, for at least one stored copy object corresponding to one object in the group, information is stored in the database to establish a full time relationship between the stored copy object and another copy object in the database. Other objects do not correspond to any objects in the group. The stored copy object is the successor of other objects.

The invention will be better understood by reference to the following detailed description of specific embodiments in conjunction with the drawings.
1 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of one embodiment of the present invention.
2-9 illustrate aspects of an example user interface in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a schematic diagram of exemplary successor and predecessor objects in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a schematic diagram of an example copy full time object graph in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
12 is a schematic diagram of a copy class descriptor file according to an embodiment of the present invention.
13 is a more detailed schematic diagram of a copy class descriptor file according to an embodiment of the present invention.
14 is a schematic diagram illustrating examples of looped relationships in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.
15 is a schematic diagram of two joining objects in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

Methods and apparatuses in accordance with the present invention are described that copy multiple objects and relationships while maintaining the integrity of the model database without the memory constraints of the prior art. Large copy operations are divided into many smaller atomic operations. Each small operation copies a subset of objects and relationships into the model database. Thus, if a large copy operation ends abnormally before all small operations are completed, the model database will eventually be left in a consistent state and the copy operation can be resumed from the point of interruption. Because each small copy operation copies only a relatively small amount of data, a failed or interrupted small copy operation can be rolled back relatively quickly.

You will notice that the order in which objects are copied is important. If objects are copied in random order and a large copy operation ends abnormally, the database is inconsistent because some newly created objects are not linked by relations with other objects and parent objects may be lost from the database. It is left in an empty state.

In accordance with the present methods and apparatus, the objects are divided into ordered object sets according to certain rules, the sets are copied in order, so that each object set is copied in atomic operation, so that the large copy operation ends abnormally. However, the database remains consistent. If a large copy operation ends abnormally, the copy operation can be resumed at the point where it terminated. Thus, user and computer time spent copying sets of objects to the end point is not wasted. In addition, since only one set of objects and their copies need to be stored in memory at any time, by dividing the objects into sufficiently large sets, a very large number of objects, regardless of the amount of memory available, Can be copied. Once the copies of each set are committed to the database, the memory can be reused.

A "successor" object is an object that must have a predecessor relationship with another object called a "predecessor" object, and the predecessor object must exist as long as the successor object exists. The beam object may be, for example, the predecessor for one or more objects representing connection points on the beam. If the beam object is absent, the connection point objects cannot exist. However, in some situations, the beam object may exist without any connection point objects. Thus, a predecessor object does not necessarily have to have any successor objects.

According to this rule, predecessor objects to be copied must not be copied after each successor object. Thus, the objects to be copied are organized into ordered groups, and the groups are copied in order such that the predecessors of a given object are copied to the database before the given object or in the same small operation as the given object. Each small operation is atomic.

Embodiments of the invention are described in the context of an enterprise engineering system. However, embodiments of the present invention may be used in other types of systems. As is well known, enterprise engineering systems are computer-aided design (CAD) systems that facilitate the 2D and 3D modeling and visualization of large complex industrial complexes. Such systems typically use object-oriented paradigms and allow users to manipulate objects. Some objects are associated with other objects and the systems can automatically recalculate the characteristics of the related objects in response to user manipulations. For example, when a user moves a pump connected to a pipe run, the system can automatically change the length of the pipe run to accommodate the new pump location. The characteristics of a "recalculation successor" object such as a pipe run in this example depend on the characteristics of a "recalculation predecessor" object such as a pump. Copying of objects in such a system includes the creation of copies of data structures representing the objects and relationships to be copied.

1 includes a flowchart illustrating the operation of one embodiment of the present invention. At 100, user inputs are accepted to specify the set of objects to be copied. The user interface may allow the user to select objects from the options menu or to enter or select filter criteria, after which the system is used to automatically select objects that meet the criteria. Alternatively, the user interface may provide a graphical selection tool, such as a selection cursor or “rubber band” selection rectangle (or other form), or any other suitable selection tool. Aspects of an example “wizard” style user interface for prompting a user, accepting user inputs, and displaying information about a copy operation are shown in FIGS. 2 through 9.

Using the dialog box shown in FIG. 3, the system can accept user inputs to select a portion of the current model to be copied. The term "plant" as used in an example dialog box refers to a database. Thus, in the example shown in FIG. 3, the user has selected "Source plant" 300 (ie, a database) named "Tortilla". Each database stores information about the model in the "systems" layer. Example systems include structural systems (which may include objects such as foundations, beams and heat), electrical systems (which may include conduits, wire run, switches, etc.), equipment systems (pumps and tanks) And piping systems (which may include pipes, elbow-shaped bent tubes, T-connections, valves, and the like).

The granularity of the tiers depends on the specific enterprise engineering system and user requirements in use. The user interface displays the levels of this hierarchy in scroll box 303. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the user has chosen to copy a portion of the hierarchy identified as “UnitSystem-1-0001” 306, which includes the building, equipment, and plumbing of the hierarchy.

The enterprise engineering system may include objects that are open to the user through the user interface (“primary objects”), and other non-public objects (“subordinate objects”). For example, the system can publish main structural objects such as foundations, columns, and beams. The user can manipulate the main objects through the user interface. For example, you can move or size columns. The system can use private sub-objects to store information about public objects. For example, the I-beam main object may be a sub-object representing the top flange, bottom flange and web of the beam, and a location or path through which other objects may be connected to the beam ( can be associated with subordinate objects.

Figure 4 shows a dialog box that accepts user inputs for selecting categories of sub-objects ("disciplines") that are automatically included in the objects to be copied. The user-specified user segments 403 may be selected or a custom filter 406 may be input that provides selection criteria that the system uses to select sub-objects.

5 shows a dialog box that accepts user inputs for specifying where copies of copy objects are to be stored. The example shown in FIG. 5 assumes that the user has selected several source systems in the dialog of FIG. These source systems are listed under the heading "Source System" 500. The user interface can automatically suggest names of the destination systems 503 and can either reverse or accept these names.

6 shows a dialog box accepting user inputs for specifying transformations to be applied to an object copy. For example, newly created objects may be moved from the coordinates of the original objects (600). In the example shown, the newly created objects are located 100 feet north of 25 feet east of native (copy) objects.

7 shows a confirmation dialog. Once the user initiates the copy operation, the system may display a progress indicator, which is shown in FIG. 8.

Referring again to FIG. 1, when an object is copied, the object's predecessor and user specified subobjects and their predecessors are also copied. In response to this need, as shown at 103, after the user selects a set of objects to be copied, the system generates a list of selected objects and includes other objects that are copied as a result of the specified objects being copied. Automatically grow to a list. The system automatically identifies the predecessors of the selected objects and the user-specified or auto-selected subobjects of the selected objects. Since each predecessor object or subobject has its own predecessor object or subobjects, automatic identification can be performed by a recursive process. Example methods and related data that may be used to identify predecessor objects are described in more detail below.

To conserve memory, the objects identified at 103 have not yet been moved to memory. Instead, only object identifiers (OIDs) of objects that are much smaller than the objects themselves are stored in memory. An OID is a number, string, database key, or other quantity that can uniquely identify an object and can be used to fetch an object from memory into a memory (also known as an object "binding").

At 106, the list of objects to be copied is divided into a number of ordered object groups. Objects are copied in groups, and groups are copied in ascending order. Objects are assigned to groups, and groups are ordered so that all predecessor objects of an object are members of the same group as the object, or members of the group in lower order than the object. Thus, predecessor objects are copied with or earlier than the object.

As shown at 110, in each group in ascending order, the objects in the group, and the sub-objects of the objects in the group, are copied to the database in atomic operation. This involves several intermediate operations. Data structures in which an OID represents objects in a group, and data structures of sub-objects of such objects, are bound to memory (ie, read from a database). Copies of these data structures are created in memory and stored in the database. Relationships between data structures in memory may be established while the data structures are still in memory, or after the data structures are stored in the database, but before the group copy transaction is declared complete. Relationships are established between data structures in a database created as part of the current group and data structures created as parts of lower order (ie, earlier copied) groups. In addition, relationships are established between data structures in the database created as part of the current group and data structures representing other parts of the model. For example, if a plumbing system is copied from one floor of a building model to another floor of the model, some or all of the newly created objects may be associated with an object representing a destination floor. When all intermediate operations are complete, the atomic operation (ie transaction) is declared complete.

After all group copy operations complete successfully, or if the large copy operation ends abnormally, as shown in FIG. 9, a result dialog may be displayed to the user to report status.

Predecessor object identification

In one embodiment, the predecessor objects are identified by constructing a directed graph (“copy predecessor object graph”) that associates each main object to be copied with the predecessor objects. The copy predecessor object graph contains a node for each main object to be copied. The edges of the graph represent the relationships between each object node. The traversal of this graph yields an ordered list of main objects to be copied. The sets of contiguous main objects from this ordered list as well as their sub-objects are assigned to contiguous groups that are copied as described above. The objects to be copied are all divided into groups. These operations will now be described in detail.

As noted, the main object selected for copying often has associated objects copied with the selected object. For example, a beam object may have several private subordinate connection objects or other subordinate objects. In addition, the beam object may be connected to a full-time column object that is open to the user. The connection can be achieved via a private child connection point object associated with the column object.

A graphical representation of this situation is shown in FIG. Radiation group 1 1000 represents a beam object and radiation group 2 1003 represents a column. The main beam object 1006 is all full-time objects and is associated with a number of subordinate and / or public objects 1010, 1013, 1016, 1020 that are copied with the public beam object 1006. Assume that object 1020 represents a connection point on a beam. Similarly, primary column object 1023 is associated with a number of subordinate and / or public objects 1026, 1030, 1033. Assume that object 1033 represents a connection point on a column, and relationship X 1036 represents a connection between beams and connection points 1020, 1033, respectively.

Since a relationship can be established from another object to the connection object 1033, the connection object 1033 in the copy group of rows of objects 1023-1022 is referred to as a "target" object. Once this relationship is established, to copy the objects, the column object 1023 becomes a predecessor object and the other object becomes a successor object. An object may have more than one target. Also, relationships other than physical connections may be established. For example, the object may be associated with a unit of coordinate system object or measurement object. Similarly, an object, such as a beam, may have more than one object, through which the object may be associated with another object.

An enterprise engineering system typically includes one or more software applications that manage systems in a plant or model. As noted, example systems include structural systems, electrical systems, equipment systems, plumbing systems. Such software applications create objects in response to user inputs, such as when a user adds a beam or column to a model. In the object-oriented paradigm, a "class" is the definition or prototype of an object. Object-oriented systems have a class definition for each type of object that may be created.

In accordance with the present invention, each class definition provides information that enables software to copy objects of that class to traverse two types of paths with respect to the object: (a) from the object, a copy group Through the internal relationships of to the target object of the other object, which may have a relationship with the object, and (b) from the object, through the internal relationships of the copy group, to a target in the copy group, i. Path to the target object to which relationships can be established.

Both types of paths are illustrated in FIG. 10. As is well known, a beam may be connected to another object, and the connection object 1020 of the beam is an object to which a connection relationship 1036 is established. As noted, other objects 1010-1016 of the beam may also be objects for which relationships can be established. Since the object 1020 can be used to establish a relationship with another object, the path 1040 is from the first type of path, i.e. from the object 1006, through the internal relationships of the copy group, of the other object copy group. An example of a path to a target object 1033-which may have a relationship 1036 with an object 1006. The path 1043 illustrates the second type of path, ie, from the object 1023 to the target 1033 in the copy group, through the internal relationships of the copy group.

In certain embodiments, each class definition may be one or two of two types of paths, depending on whether the objects of the class may be targets or whether the objects may have established relationships with other objects. Provide a "Copy Class Descriptor" file that contains information that the copy application can use to identify the other. In certain embodiments, such a file is formatted according to the extensible markup language (XML) specification. A more detailed description of this XML file is described below.

As noted, typical enterprise engineering systems store information about objects and relationships in a relational database (RDB) or other type of database. Some of these systems maintain separate database tables for each type of object. For example, such a system may maintain a table for thermal objects and a separate table for beam objects. Information about relationships between objects may be maintained in object tables or in separate tables. For example, the relationship table illustrated by Table 1 may record a pair of objects and relationships between objects in each row of the table. Thus, for each relationship between two objects in the system, the table contains one row. Table row fields may include object identifiers (OIDs). The name "OID (B)" means "object identifier of object B". The relationship shown in the second row of Table 1 corresponds to the relationship X 1036 shown in FIG. 10, in which connection point B 1020 on beam 1006 is welded to connection point C 1033 on column D 1023. (welded).

inherence Destination Relation type OID (X) OID (Y) Bolting connection OID (B) OID (C) Welding connection

As shown in the column headings of Table 1 (“Unique” and “May”), relationships are derived. The direction of a relationship may imply, but not necessarily, a successor / predecessor relationship between two corresponding objects.

As noted, each class definition provides a copy class descriptor file that contains information that allows the software to circle two types of paths, with respect to the objects illustrated by the class. 12 is a schematic diagram of an XML file for providing such information. Other suitable file formats may be used.

In a given object class, the file includes two portions 1200 and 1203 that provide information about two types of paths, respectively. The first portion 1200 ("TargetsInPredecessors") is the target object of another object, which may have a relationship with the object-that is, through the internal relationships of the copy group, that is, each possible from the object that is the predecessor of the object. Provides information about the route.

The example shown in FIG. 12 defines these two paths 1206 and 1210. Each path includes at least one "step". One step describes the relationship between two objects and includes a description of the relationship type (RelType) and the direction of the relationship (Dir). For example, referring to the beam object of FIG. 10, path 1040 is described as having three steps corresponding to relationships 1046, 1050, 1053. Starting at an object, any path that matches the number of the specified step (s), the specified relationship type (s) (RelType), and the specified direction (s) (Dir) is considered as the TargetsInPredecessors path.

Referring back to FIG. 12, the second portion 1203 ("TargetsInSelf") of the XML file provides information about each possible path from the object, through the internal relationships of the copy group, to a target in the copy group. 13 is a more complete example of an XML copy class descriptor file.

When an object is automatically identified as an object to be selected or copied by the user, the system automatically identifies the predecessors of the object. To identify predecessors, the system identifies target objects of predecessors associated with one of the selected object or sub-objects. To identify target objects, the system creates a query for each TargetsInPredecessors path defined for the object class. The query includes a JOIN for each step of the path. The query is run against the database. The result of the query is a table containing OID pairs. Each OID pair includes an OID of an object to be copied, such as beam 1006 (OID "A"), and an OID of a target object, such as connection point 1033 (OID "C"). Table 2 shows some of the results of an example of such a query.

OID of the object to be copied The OID of the target object A C

The system also generates a query for each TargetsInSelf path defined for the object class. The query includes a JOIN for each step of the path. The query is run against the database. The query results in a table containing OID pairs. Each OID pair includes an OID of a target object, such as connection point 1003 (OID "C"), and an OID of a predecessor of the selected object to be copied, such as column object 1023 (OID "D"). Table 3 shows some of the results of an example of such a query.

The OID of the target object OID of predecessor object C D

The above-described queries are executed for each class of object selected for copying, and the results of the query are accumulated in two result tables. The two tables are then joined in a table column named "OID of the target object", resulting in a third table. Table 4 shows some of the results of an example of such a database JOIN operation. The rows in Table 4 represent predecessor relationships between objects to be copied. For example, according to the first row of Table 4, object D (column 1023) is not copied later than object A (beam 1006) because object D is the predecessor of object A.

OID of the object to be copied OID of predecessor object A D

As noted, the copy predecessor object graph includes a node for each main object to be copied, wherein the edges of the graph represent relationships between respective object nodes. The system creates a node in the graph for each main object you select. The system also adds a node to the graph for each primary full-time object identified in Table 3.

Each row of the joined table (Table 4) represents a full time relationship between the object to be copied and the full time object. The system adds an edge to the copy predecessor object graph for each of these predecessor relationships. 11 shows an example copy full time object graph. It should be noted that the predecessor relationship 1100 was created to determine the copy order. This relationship may be unique to the copy predecessor object graph. That is, data structures representing the objects of copy group 1 1000 and copy group 2 1003 (FIG. 10) may not store information about full time relationship 1100.

Copy object alignment

After the predecessor relationships are added to the copy predecessor object graph, the copy objects of the graph are sorted in the copy order, so that each object appears after all the predecessor objects appear. The copy order may be represented by a thread (eg, front and back pointers) extending through the nodes of the copy predecessor object graph, by a separate copy order list, or by any other suitable indicator.

The copy full-time object graph can be sorted by any suitable method. Two example methods are described below. In a breadth-first sorting method, multiple passes can be achieved over a list of copy objects. During each pass, copy objects with all predecessor objects already added can be added to the list. This sorting method tends to put unrelated objects in close proximity in the copy order list. Thus, there is a possibility that irrelevant objects are assigned to a given object group, which may lead to cross-partiton relationships.

It may be desirable to use a depth-first sorting method that places related objects in close proximity to the copy order list. A single pass can be achieved across the copy predecessor object graph to identify all copy objects without successor objects, that is, to identify objects without a predecessor object for any other objects. For each object without successor objects, a recursive function can be called that adds the object to the list. The function is called by itself for each predecessor of the object, after which the function adds the object to the list. Thus, before the object itself is added to the list, all predecessors of the object are added to the list.

Optionally, the objects may be pre-aligned into group objects according to physical location in the model. Objects such as beams and columns that are physically located in close proximity to each other are more likely to relate than objects that are far from each other in the modeling facility. Thus, objects may be pre-aligned to reduce the number of cross-partition relationships such that physically close objects are near together in the copying full object graph.

Two or more objects can be related to each other to form loops. Examples of such relationships are shown in FIG. 14. Loops can be detected during the alignment process. If a loop is detected, all copy objects of a given loop are assigned together to the same group of objects to be copied.

Two copy objects, each of which considers a different object a predecessor, are called "mutual predecessors". Mutual predecessors are assigned to the same copy group. Similarly, loops of mutually predecessor objects are assigned to the same copy group.

Once the copy objects in the copy full-time object graph are sorted, the copy objects can be assigned to consecutive groups, starting with the first copy object in the sorted copy full-time object graph and continuing to the end of the graph in sort order. "Copy propagation" is a process that is extended such that the selected set of main objects to be copied includes all of the subobjects involved. For each group, the main objects whose OIDs are in the copy predecessor object graph are bound to memory, and the main objects are expanded to bind the sub-objects of the main objects to memory. The main objects and subobjects can then be copied, and copies can be stored in the database.

The number of objects in each group may depend on whether loops or mutual full-time objects are found. In addition, sub-objects are included in the same group as the parent object. In other cases, the number of objects in the group may be selected based on one or more criteria. For example, smaller groups tend to increase robustness, and if a small group copy operation fails, recovery may involve a smaller amount of rollback than if a larger copy operation failed. . However, smaller group copy operations imply a larger number of operations, which can negatively impact database performance. Groups may contain only one object. Not all copy groups need to contain the same number of objects. It was found that the group size of one main object, ie the object and all sub-objects, provided a good balance between robustness and performance.

Reset relationship with object copies

Relationships between objects in a group of objects to be copied together are called "internal relationships". Since all objects are copied together, these relationships are copied with the objects.

Relationships between objects in a group of objects to be copied together and objects that are not copied are called "external relationships". If the external relationship is defined as mandatory by the system, after copying, a relationship is established between the newly created object and the default target (defined by the system), or the user can create a new target object via a user interface (not shown). If you choose, the relationship is established with the custom object. If the external relationship is defined as optional by the system, the relationship does not need to be established with the newly created object.

Some relationships are likely to span partitions. That is, there is a possibility to extend between objects in different groups of objects to be copied together. These relationships are called "cross-partitoin" relationships. Because groups of objects are copied in order, each time each object is copied, full-time objects will already be copied, or will be copied as part of the same group. In any case, all relevant predecessor objects will be copied until all objects in the group are copied. Thus, relationships with predecessor objects may be established during atomic group copy operations.

To facilitate the establishment of relationships for objects created during previous group copy operations, the system maintains a "global copy map". The global copy map stores OIDs of objects that may be targets of relationships that are subsequently reset as part of group copy operations. Table 5 shows an example global copy map.

OID of the object to be copied OID of clone of copy object C C ' B B '

When an object (eg, object C 1033 in FIG. 10) having a relationship with another object (eg, object B 1020) is copied, not only the OID of object C but also a copy of the object (ie, a new The OIDs of created objects (called "clone") are also stored in the global copy map and correlated. Later, when the related object (in this example, object B 1020) is copied, the system detects the relationship between object B and object C. For example, the system may query the relationship table (see, eg, Table 1) to determine if object B has any relationships. If object B has a relationship to object C, the system establishes a relationship between the clone of object C and the clone of object B using the OID of the clone of object C.

The global copy map can be stored in memory. Alternatively, the global copy map may be stored in auxiliary storage, such as a disk, so that the amount of memory does not limit the size of the map. Of course, as is known in the art, portions of the map can be cached in memory to improve performance.

Some relationships between objects are established through "joining" objects. 15 illustrates these two joining objects 1500 and 1503. Although the groups 1506 and 1510 of related objects will all be copied through the joining objects 1500 and 1503, if both groups 1506 and 1510 are assigned to different copy object groups, ie different partitions, The flags are set to indicate that the copy is enlarged from both sides of the joining objects. When the group containing the object 1513 is copied, the object 1513 and the joining objects 1500 and 1503 are both cloned and relationships to the clone are established. However, later in the process, each clone of the joining objects 1500 and 1503 detects that the two objects are not currently joined and is deleted. A copy of the object 1513 is committed without a joining object, and the object 1513 and its clones are added to the global copy map.

Later, when a group containing another object 1516 is copied, the object 1516 and the joining objects 1500 and 1503 are both cloned. As described above, clones of the object 1513 are identified using the global copy map. Relationships between the joining objects 1500 and 1503 and the clones of the objects 1513 and 1516 are established. The resulting objects and relationships are then committed as described above.

The methods described above can be performed by a computer system, including a processor, by executing appropriate instructions stored in a memory.

Methods and apparatuses for copying multiple objects have been described as including a processor controlled by instructions stored in memory. The memory may be random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory or any other memory, or a combination thereof suitable for storing control software or other instructions and data. Several functions performed by the copy mechanism have been described with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the functions, operations, decisions, etc., of some or all of the blocks or combinations of blocks in each flowchart or block diagram may be implemented as computer program instructions, software, hardware, firmware or a combination thereof. It is easy to see that. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that instructions or programs that define the functions of the present invention may be stored in a non-writable storage medium (e. Information permanently stored on a device readable by the connecting device, information variably stored on a recordable storage medium (eg, floppy disk, removable flash memory and hard drive), or wired or wireless computer networks. It will be readily appreciated that the processor can be conveyed in various forms including, but not limited to, information transmitted to a computer via a communication medium. In addition, although the present invention may be implemented in software, the functions necessary to implement the present invention may include combinational logic, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other hardware or hardware, software. And / or may be implemented partly or wholly, optionally or alternatively using firmware and / or hardware components, such as some combination of firmware components.

While the present invention has been described through the above-described exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that changes and modifications to the illustrated embodiments may be made within the concepts of the invention described herein. For example, although some aspects of the copying mechanism have been described with reference to a flowchart, those skilled in the art will appreciate that some, all, or a combination of blocks, functions, operations, decisions, etc., of each block in the flowchart may be combined, or individual operations may be combined. It will be readily appreciated that they may be individualized into, or performed in different orders. In addition, although embodiments are described in connection with various exemplary data structures, those skilled in the art will appreciate that a system may be implemented using various data structures. In addition, the described aspects, or portions of the aspects, may be combined in methods not described above. Accordingly, the invention is not to be considered as limited to the embodiment (s) described.

Claims (17)

A method performed by a computer system for copying a plurality of predecessor and successor objects represented within an object-oriented enterprise engineering system, each successive object being associated with a predecessor object. Have a predecessor relationship-,
Accepting input from a user selecting a plurality of objects to be copied (100),
For each selected object, automatically identifying predecessor objects corresponding to the selected object,
Automatically divide the selected objects and identified predecessor objects into a plurality of ordered object groups such that for any given selected object or predecessor object, the corresponding predecessor objects are in the same group as the given object or the preceding group ( a 106 to be in a preceding group),
In each group, 110 during an atomic database transaction, in order
Storing copy objects corresponding to objects in the group in the database;
Storing, in the database, at least one stored copy object corresponding to an object in the group, information establishing a full time relationship between the stored copy object and another copy object in the database, wherein the other object is in the group; Does not correspond to any object, so the stored copy object is the successor of other objects-
≪ / RTI > The method of claim 1,
At least one predecessor relationship exists between one object and another,
As part of the atomic database transaction for a group in the groups, information for establishing a full time relationship between the stored copy object corresponding to an object in one of the groups and a copy object corresponding to another object; The method further comprises storing in a database. The method of claim 1,
Identifying the predecessor objects includes receiving data identifying a path starting at the selected object, the path extending through at least one object subordinate to the selected object, the path And at least one step, each step having a relationship type and direction. The method of claim 1,
Identifying the predecessor objects includes receiving data identifying a first path and a second path, each path starting at the selected object, each path being at least one subordinate to the selected object. Extending through an object of, each path including at least one step, each step having a relationship type and direction, the first path ending at a target object not subordinate to the selected object, and 2 The path terminates at a target object that is subordinate to the selected object. 5. The method of claim 4,
Identifying the predecessor objects further comprises querying a database with a query formed from information from at least one of the first path and the second path. The method of claim 1,
Identifying the predecessor objects,
Generating a computer-readable representation of the selected objects;
Arranging representations of the selected objects;
Partitioning the display of the sorted selected objects
≪ / RTI > The method of claim 1,
In each group, during the atomic database transaction, in order
For each selected object in the group, automatically identifying sub-objects corresponding to the selected object;
Storing copy objects corresponding to the identified sub-objects in the database
≪ / RTI > The method of claim 1,
For each group, storing the copy objects corresponding to the objects in the group in the database comprises: associating an object identifier of at least one copy object of the copy objects with an object identifier of a corresponding object in the group And storing it. A system for copying a plurality of predecessor and successor objects represented in an object-oriented enterprise engineering system, each successor object having a predecessor relationship with a predecessor object,
A user interface configured to accept input from a user selecting a plurality of objects to be copied;
For each selected object, an identification module configured to automatically identify predecessor objects corresponding to the selected object,
And to automatically divide the selected objects and the identified predecessor objects into a plurality of ordered object groups, for any given selected object or predecessor object, the corresponding predecessor objects are in the same group as the given object. Split modules that are or are in a preceding group,
In each group, during the atomic database transaction, in order
Storing copy objects corresponding to objects in the group in a database,
A storage module, configured to store, in the database, at least one stored copy object corresponding to an object in the group, information in the database establishing a predecessor relationship between the stored copy object and another copy object in the database; Does not correspond to any object within, so the stored copy object is succeeding the other object-
System for copying a plurality of predecessor and successor objects comprising a. 10. The method of claim 9,
At least one predecessor relationship exists between one object and another,
The storage module, as part of an atomic database transaction for one of the groups, establishes a full-time relationship between the stored copy object corresponding to an object in one of the groups and a copy object corresponding to another object. And copy the plurality of predecessor and successor objects further configured to store information in a database. 10. The method of claim 9,
The identification module is further configured to receive data identifying a path starting at the selected object, the path extending through at least one object subordinate to the selected object, the path including at least one step; And each step has a plurality of predecessor and successor objects having a relationship type and direction. 10. The method of claim 9,
The identification module is further configured to receive data identifying a first path and a second path, each path starting at the selected object, each path extending through at least one object subordinate to the selected object. Wherein each path includes at least one step, each step having a relationship type and direction, the first path terminating at a target object not subordinate to the selected object, and the second path being selected A system for copying a plurality of predecessor and successor objects, terminating at a target object descendant to the object. The method of claim 12,
And wherein the identification module is further configured to query a database with a query formed from information from at least one of the first path and the second path. 10. The method of claim 9,
The identification module,
Generate a computer readable representation of the selected objects,
Align the display of the selected objects,
Further configured to divide the display of the sorted selected objects,
A system for copying multiple predecessor and successor objects. 10. The method of claim 9,
The storage module, in each group, during the atomic database transaction, in order
For each selected object in the group, automatically identify sub-objects corresponding to the selected object,
And copy the plurality of predecessor and successor objects, further configured to store copy objects corresponding to the identified sub-objects in the database. 10. The method of claim 9,
The storage module is further configured to copy a plurality of predecessor and successor objects, in each group, further configured to store an object identifier of at least one of the copy objects in association with the object identifier of the corresponding object in the group. . A computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program for use in a computer system for copying a plurality of predecessor and successor objects represented in an object-oriented enterprise engineering system, each successive object having a full-time relationship with a predecessor object,
The computer program includes computer instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
Accepts input from a user selecting a plurality of objects to be copied,
For each selected object, automatically identify predecessor objects corresponding to the selected object,
Automatically partitioning the selected objects and the identified predecessor objects into a plurality of groups of ordered objects such that for any given selected or predecessor object, the corresponding predecessor objects are in the same group as the given object or To be in the leading group,
For each group, during the atomic database transaction, in order
Store copy objects corresponding to objects in the group in the database,
For at least one stored copy object corresponding to an object in the group, storing information in the database that establishes a predecessor relationship between the stored copy object and another copy object in the database, wherein the other object is in the group. Does not correspond to any object, so the stored copy object succeeds the other object −
Computer readable storage medium.

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